Bhopal: Doctor removes wrong reproductive organ

Maya Gupta, 32, lost her privilege to be a mother after a Bhopal-based doctor removed her healthy right ovary and uterus instead of the infected left one.Aditi Gyanesh | TNN | Updated: February 06, 2016, 09:10 IST

Bhopal: Maya Gupta, 32, lost her privilege to be a mother after a Bhopal-based doctor removed her healthy right ovary and uterus instead of the infected left one. In 2009, two years after she underwent the botched surgery, she moved district consumer forum, Bhopal, seeking justice and compensation. A week ago, the consumer forum gave verdict in her favour, asking the doctor to pay her a compensation of Rs 2 lakh. But she does not appear happy with the forum's recommendation.

In her original complaint with the forum, Gupta demanded Rs 9.25 lakh as compensation for the medical negligence. She said: "Compensation is meagre compared to her trauma. And doctor's action would never allow her to become mother in her life."

After birth of her first child, Maya, resident of Rajgarh district, had been regularly experiencing abdominal pain. She consulted a doctor at Saurabh Maternity in Bhopal. Thereafter, she decided to consult Dr Pushpa Gour, gynecologist at Gour hospital, Bhudwara. She suggested Gupta to go for sonography and medication.

Once reports arrived, Dr Gour told Maya her left ovary was infected and she needs to get it removed immediately. But on the operation day, August 6, 2007, instead of removing her left infected ovary, hysterectomy was performed. Both of her healthy reproductive organs right ovary and uterus were removed.

A few days after operation, when Gupta suffered pain again, she approached another doctor, Maya Dodani, who after sonography told Maya, her right ovary was not in place.

To get second opinion, Maya and her husband went to a noted hospital in Indore, where doctors told her the same thing. Ultimately, her left ovary was removed there.

Ever since, Maya had registered her case in district consumer forum in 2009, she is in depression. After some time, her husband stopped coming to court for hearings with her.

As per judgement delivered by Akhilesh Pandya, former president, Bhopal district consumer forum, members advocate Sunil Shrivastava and Monica Malik, Dr Gour was not able to show proper operative notes and give reason why there was need to remove right ovary along with uterus without sonography and consultation with the patient.

Only in India the healthcare financing is very small when compared to the financing by the other forces rather than the patient himself or herself paying out of pocket. Having 70-75% of the expenses as out-of-pocket, in my opinion, is not a right approach to managing healthcare in a country where the patients tend to sub-optimally purchase healthcare if he/she has to pay out-of-pocket.